an editorial supplement to The Grocer Bord Bia - Irish Food Board "The trading relationship in food and drink between Ireland and Britain has never been stronger. During the course of the past eighteen months, the Republic of Ireland has become Britain's most important market for food and drink exports, while Britain remains Ireland's largest export market and continues to show steady growth in 2001. We welcome this Grocer supplement on the Island of Ireland as it highlights the importance of Ireland as one of the top three import suppliers of food and drink to the British market. Irish companies are highly committed to the British market, and their capability is evidenced in the premium business being achieved in retail, foodservice and manufacturing. At IFE we are introducing a new Ireland, The Food Island umbrella brand identity. The design is inspired by Irelands rich and green natural landscape enriched by nature's purest ingredient-the raindrop. A survey conducted on behalf of Bord Bia last year showed an increase of 27 percentage points in British buyer satisfaction with the quality of Irish food compared to 1996 (89% vs. 62%). British retail and foodservice buyers responding to the survey perceived Irish companies as a source of good quality price competitive food products. The overall rating of Irish companies continues to reflect their commitment, energy and attention to quality. Bord Bia, the Irish Food Board is the Irish Government's food and drink market development and promotion agency. Our London based team is focused on core areas of Irish capability in retail prepared consumer foods and meat, foodservice, drinks ingredients and speciality foods. We value our business relationships here in Britain and look forward to further developing business relationships between the two Islands." Michael Duffy Chief Executive NIFDA - Northern Ireland Food and Drink Association "The Northern Ireland Food and Drink Association has had a successful record over the last five years, of developing the Food and Drink cluster, promoting innovation, delivering tangible savings, communicating relevant strategic information to the industry, and representing the industry's view to targeted groups. We proudly enjoy the clean and green image of the island that we share. NIFDA works in partnership with various local Government agencies to develop initiatives and have been delighted by a marked increase in the involvement and support of our member companies in these. The main objectives of NIFDA remain increasing industry competitiveness through: strategy development, including leadership and entrepreneurial development; market development; cluster development; supply chain management and lobbying. Industry continues to improve productivity and quality against the challenges of retail pressure, the euro and consumer confidence. And we are totally committed to helping members compete in an ever more global and competitive environment. The food and drink sector in Northern Ireland continues to change substantially. In the last 12 months two major new factories have opened creating hundreds of new jobs. At the same time, a number of factories have closed down and overall employment is substantially reduced. The future will likely be more of the same. NIFDA members continue to focus exclusively on improving customer value, taste and quality - someone once said that the difference between mediocrity is focus." Alan Gibson Chairman {{SUPPLEMENTS }}